The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1887-03-11

pct Pic list myself take CO
your ~overcoat and stay to dinner"
"Well, / don't know. ] thought I'd
be home by dinner time"
ooh, Hepsy won't expect you home
from town yet. You'd better stay"
"Hepsy amt there nc more. She
went home two weeks yesterday. She
amt going to work out no more, she
says. Tve been keeping old batch
since she left, and l don't find house
keeping very easy work" he remark
ed, taking off his shabby o~vercoat,
and placing it on the back Of a chair,
then seating himself again.
Deacon Appleyard watched Miss
Marcia with admiration as she dished
the savory pot pie, mashed turnips
and potatoes, ana drew from the
oven, crisp brown and spicily fragrant,
his favorite delicacy, a plummy mlnce
pie.
How comfortable, clean and invit-
ing was this snug, cozy kitchen; how
tempting was the dinner table. How
very differnt it all seemed from the
forlorn disorder of his own home.
How he did wish he dared-but at
this point in his reflection he was
startled from his meditation by Miss
Marcia telling him dinner was ready.
Never had the deacon more thorough
ly enjoyed a dinner; the delicate chick
en- pie, fragrant coffee, the delightfully."-
clean kitchen, all made a return to
his own home seem more desolate.
After chatting a short time after
dinner, he took his leave, carrying
with him a pleasant picture OF the
CHEEKY room, and above all, of trim
Miss Marcia with her neat, brown
calico, snowy collar, and glossy braids
Of dark brown hair.
Hehas been a widower for nearly
three years. and in that time had Of
ten thought of Miss Marcia's bright
home, and cheerful manner, and wish
ed he dared ask her to share and
brighten his lot; but Deacon Apple.
yard was one Of the most pashful Of
men.
Report said, l know not how truly,
that he had never mustered courage
to refuse his first wife, who had her.
self, after a vigorous courtship on her
own part, proposed marriage.
But after ruling him with a rod of
iron for twenty years, she suddenly
left this world, and her husband was
still wearing rusty weed, and patient
ly bearing the loss of his h~ousekeeper
and companion.
That afternoon Miss Marcia sat
mending, and musing over life and her
visitor.
"He's q good man, but how he is
changed from what he used to be.
Well, that's the way it is with me ]
suppose. Time changes us all. How
much he used to come to IA house,
the fall Jonas got married. Fred APP
| pleyard, Jonas Lizzie and went to
singing school regular that winter, and
what q good time we did have, /
thought then" but blushing wildly
at the vision, her words brought to
mind, Miss Hillman reused herself
from her backward reflections, with
the remark:
81 do declare, Marcia Hillman,
you're growing more foolish every day
of your life. What's the use of think
ing of what might have BEEN"
Deep down in her heart, she cherish
| ed a secret unsupported by friends and
~neighbors, especially by Fred Apple.
yard, or Deacon Appleyard, a she was
generally called.
Marcia Hillman had loved him all
her life. In her girlhood there had
been q brief period when she believed
that Fred A~ppleyard loved her also,
but his marriage to Ellen Smith had
rudely dispelled her love dream. She
was mistaken in taking for love only
friendship. OF course Fred had never
loved her was her thought.
But in regard to this matter, Marcia
Hifiman was greatly mistak en-. In
his youth he had been deeply in love
with her, but timidity had prevented
MIN from making advances and per-
sistent Ellen Smith had captured him
while his heart was still Marcia Hill
mans.
Two weeks passed, and notwith-
standing the pleasure of the day he
had taken dinner with her, still Dea-
con Appleyard had not since visited
Miss Marcia.
There was first ore interruption
and then another. After reaching
home that day, he resolved to call
upon her the next Sabbath, but when
the time came, his courage forsook
him.
He plainly could not go upon an
erraud on the Sabbath. He would
wait until q week day furnished a
convenient excuse for calling.
The fourteenth Of February dawned
bright and beautiful. Miss Marcia
was early astir and was eating break
fast, when little Tony Thompson en-
tered, after a timid hesitating knock,
and handed her q letter.
Miss Marcia took the envelope,
while the. urchin volunteered an expla-